. Mammals of other lands;. Mammals. THE SMALLER CARNIVORA 117 they were allowed to catch live fish. Once one of them seized a 4-lb. pike by the tail. The pike wriggled round and seized the otter's paw, but was soon placed hors de combat. The largest otter which the writer has seen was bolted by a ferret from a rabbit- warren on the edge of the Norfolk fen at Hockwold, and shot by the keeper, who was rabbiting. English dog otters sometimes weigh as much as 26 lbs. They regularly hunt down the rivers by night, returning before morning to their holt, where they sleep by day. No fish stands a chan
. Mammals of other lands;. Mammals. THE SMALLER CARNIVORA 117 they were allowed to catch live fish. Once one of them seized a 4-lb. pike by the tail. The pike wriggled round and seized the otter's paw, but was soon placed hors de combat. The largest otter which the writer has seen was bolted by a ferret from a rabbit- warren on the edge of the Norfolk fen at Hockwold, and shot by the keeper, who was rabbiting. English dog otters sometimes weigh as much as 26 lbs. They regularly hunt down the rivers by night, returning before morning to their holt, where they sleep by day. No fish stands a chance with them. They swim after the fish in, the open river, chase it under the bank, and then corner it, or seize it with a rush, just as the penguins catch gudgeon at the Zoo. Captain Salvin owned a famous tame otter which used to go for walks with him, and amuse itself by catching fish in the roadside THE BADGERS. The Badgers include several TWO TAME OTTERS These iiuo little otters ivere photographed by the Duchess of Bedford. Alluding to the old signs of the zodiac and their fondness for the â¢watering-pot^ their portrait genera. The Sand-badgers of the ^aseaiied" Aquarius" and "The Twins.'- East have a naked snout, small ears, and rough fur, with softer fur underneath. The Indian Badger is larger than that of Europe, while that of Java, Sumatra, and Borneo is smaller, and has a very short tail. The Ferret-badgers from the East have elongated bodies and short tails. They are tree-climbers, and as omniv- orous as the badger itself. The Cape Zokilla, with another species found in Egypt, is more nearly allied to the polecats, but is striped like a skunk. The European Badger is still'fairly numerous. There is not a county in England where it is not found. A large colony has been established in Epping Forest, some fifty yards square of hill- side being honeycombed with badger- earths. The European badger is found all over temperate Northern Europe and Asia
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Keywords: ., bookauthorco, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectmammals
